1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hair care products. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus, kit, and related methods for coloring hair.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exists a multitude of different types of hair coloring systems which utilize various types of hair coloring solutions deployed with use of myriad types of hair coloring dispensers capable of dispensing the various types of hair coloring solutions onto the hair of a user. The hair coloring solutions can be of a type that is either temporary or permanent in nature. Where the hair coloring solution is temporary in nature, many of the various hair coloring solutions can often be stored in a single unitary container with a sufficient shelf life to be sold and used by a user prior to significant alteration of its hair coloring formula. For some of the hair coloring solutions that are temporary in nature and in most solutions which are permanent in nature, the component parts which form the hair coloring solution generally cannot be stored or mixed together for any substantial length of time without a significant alteration in the hair coloring formula. In this situation, it is necessary to store the components of the hair coloring solution in either two or more separate storage containers or store them isolated from each other within a single container. At or near the time the user desires to employ the hair coloring solution, the user mixes the components of the hair coloring solution together, typically in a single container.
Many of the hair coloring systems which store the components of the hair coloring solution in separate containers are considered quite messy by the user due to the requirement for mixing the components of the hair coloring solution prior to use. Spillage resulting in a significant loss of the mixed product often stems from problems encountered during the mixing of the components of the coloring solution. Additionally, many of the users simply do not understand how to properly mix the products much less the importance of mixing the proper quantities. The mixing process often results in contamination of personal property in the surrounding areas where the mixing process was conducted.
The art has tried to solve the problems resulting from storage of the hair coloring components in separate containers and the ensuing problems of combining the two components either directly in a separate container prior to entry into the hair of the user or into a separate mixing chamber within a single container for further expressing into the hair of the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,450B1 by Paice, titled “Hair Dye Applicator,” describes a hair dye applicator including a first tubular member having a dye gel within and a second tubular member coupled to the first tubular member and having peroxide within. A trigger and a pair of pistons are used to push the dye gel and peroxide together through a rod where fins mix them together. The mixture is then forced into a manifold and out conduits for positioning on the hair of the user. This type of dispensing device is very complicated due to the numerous parts and connections making this type of dispenser difficult to cost effectively produce as a disposable. Additionally, the numerous parts design requires the user to perform extensive cleaning between uses.
Also, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,586B1 by Herzog et al., titled “Two-Component Container,” describes a two component dispensing container. In this dispenser, a first container having peroxide or hair dye is threadingly connected by the user into a second container having the other of the peroxide or hair dye. During the threading process, a sealing plug separating the two containers is ejected. The sealing plug is then used as a shaking ball to assist in the mixing of the peroxide and the hair dye. This type of dispensing container design requires both of the containers be at least somewhat non-pliable to provide sufficient structure to the threads to allow the individual containers to be threaded together. This tends to result in the dispensing container being expensive to manufacture and difficult to use because the non-pliable structure does not allow easy expressing of the hair coloring solution by the user.
Some of the art has instead tried to solve the mixing problem by storing the components of the hair coloring solution in a single container separated by some form of isolation means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,643 by Morane et al., titled “Unpressurized Container for Holding a Plurality of Product Separately and Dispensing Them Simultaneously,” describes a dispensing container having a flexible outer jacket having a first component of the hair coloring solution and a glass tube having a second component of the hair coloring solution within. In this form of dispensing container, the two components are mixed by breaking the glass tube. The dispensing container also includes a cloth filter to prevent broken glass shards from being extruded along with the mixed components of the hair coloring solution. Manufacturing costs and safety issues have made this type of device cost prohibitive.
Most, if not all, of hair coloring solution dispensers currently in use, whether having their components stored in separate containers or in isolation within a single container, require some form of mixing other than through natural permeation. Various methodologies implemented to perform this function include shaking the container once the two component parts are placed into a single container. Other methodologies supplement the shaking of the container by including a ball bearing in the mixing container in order to accelerate the mixing process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,864 by Diaz, titled “Hair Coloring Applicator with Mixing Chamber,” describes a hair coloring applicator including a first chamber having peroxide material within and a separately stored second chamber having hair dye material within. When the second chamber is connected to the first chamber, a membrane in the second chamber is pierced by a frustro-shaped open end of the first chamber to allow the peroxide material and hair dye material to combine. The second container includes a ball bearing to facilitate the mixing of the two components. This ball bearing mixing methodology, however, is often problematic. Ball bearings are generally made of metal. Metals can have a profound adverse reaction to include heat which can be of a sufficient degree to melt the hair. Additional adverse reactions include alteration of the hair color formula itself which would prevent a predictable color result within the hair.
Still others implement mixing of the components by pressing or kneading the mixing container to perform the mixing function. For example, though not involving hair care products, U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,005 by Krause et al., titled “Package for Storing, Mixing, and Dispensing Multi-Component Products,” nevertheless describes a package for storing, mixing, and dispensing multi-component products in the form of paints, epoxy adhesives, or epoxy or polyurethane coatings to which a hardener or accelerator are added. The package includes an outer container and an inner container located within the outer container. The outer container is made of a flexible material and has a hardener/accelerator or coating/adhesive/paint within. The inner container is also flexible and has the other of the hardener/accelerator or coating/adhesive/paint within. The inner container has a frictionally retained closure plug capping an opening end. The components of the product are mixed by squeezing the outer container which squeezes the inner container which results in the dislodging of the closure cap. This type of package often succumbs to loss during transportation and handling. Accidental pressure on the package, even for only a moment, can cause release of the plug and inadvertent mixing of the contents of the outer and inner containers, resulting in total loss of the product.
Some devices have attempted to use a piston for mixing and dispensing the hair coloring solution. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,177 by Sofer, titled “Cartridge For Hair Dye Dispenser” describes a hair dye dispenser which is manually filled by a user with a storage and filling device. The filling device includes a pair of separate hair dye component containers positioned substantially in parallel, whereby a dual piston drives the components from the containers simultaneously into a hair dye dispensing container. The hair dye dispensing container also has a piston whereby a dispensing actuator exerts pressure on the piston to express the mixed hair dye through a plurality of dispensing tines having tip apertures. The design is rather complicated and thus not conducive to being made disposable. Additionally, the cartridge along with the associated filling device and dispensing actuator has multiple parts including a sealing element requiring attachment and/or detachment that can be misplaced by the user. Not being disposable, many of the multiple parts also require extensive cleaning after use, which can be very messy.
Regardless of the methodology employed to produce the mixed hair coloring solution, once mixed, the hair coloring solution must be dispensed onto the hair of the user. Many hair coloring dispensers have teeth (tines) or forks for spreading the hair during the dispensing operation. For example, U.S. Patent App. No. 2003/0041869A1 by Dovergne, titled “Device for Applying a Substance to the Hair,” describes a device for applying a substance to dye hair that includes a comb or applicator having teeth that are arranged with gaps between the teeth. The teeth are positioned in such a way as to allow one or more substances, e.g., oxidizer and dye, within the body of the device to be applied onto the hair. Use of the hard teeth (tines) or forks can, however, be problematic and has been equated with trying to paint a wall with the wooden part of a paintbrush. The hair coloring dispenser described in U.K. Patent No. 2,370,264 by Lloyd-Davy, titled “Hair Dye Applicator,” and described in other similar devices, may have attempted to solve this problem. The described hair dye applicator includes an applicator comprised of bristles. A felt pad is positioned between the bristles and the application hair dye solution and is used to moisten the bristles of the device. Having such an obstruction extending between the bristles and the hair coloring solution, however, tends to greatly hinder the flow of the hair coloring solution. Thus, Applicant has recognized the need for an applicator having soft bristles and which is designed to easily moisten the bristles to properly apply the hair coloring solution onto the hair of the user.
The above described devices, and some other similar devices, are relatively complex and expensive in construction, and some of them require separate attachments in order to mix the components' solutions with each other. Still others require separate storage containers for the components, which must be combined into a unitary container for dispensing. Thus, Applicant has recognized a need for an apparatus for coloring hair that can hold at least two components separate from one another until it is desired to mix the components to formulate the hair coloring solution and that is not easily inadvertently activated. Also recognized is the need for an apparatus for coloring hair that is disposable and inexpensive to manufacture, relatively simple to use, allows for easy mixing without the use of a ball bearing type device, is designed to help prevent spillage of the mixed hair coloring solution during or after mixing, and which provides an even dispensing of the hair coloring solution via an applicator brush having soft bristles.